Monday, April 18, 2016

The Metal Advisor Interviews Victim Mentality

TMA sits down for a quick chat with Krocodile of Victim Mentality, who just returned from a second year at SXSW, a mammoth music festival held each year in Austin, Texas. The band hopes to conquer the world with catchy heavy metal reminiscent of the genre's classic era, the '80s. Let's dig in and see what Victim Mentality is all about.

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Krocodile (Vocals)

Hey, man! How are you? How was your recent trip to Texas to play at SXSW?

We’re good! How are you? We had a great time at SXSW. There is lots of fun to be found during the festival, so we all enjoyed ourselves. This was our second consecutive year playing at SXSW and I hope we can go back there again in the future.

How were your concerts at SXSW? Was the crowd response any different from your performances at the festival last year?

Our concerts in Austin went well. We played two showcases during SXSW and the audiences were great at both of them. Lots of people told us that they thought we were even better than when they saw us last year. And we know that we were spectacular last year so this year we must have been absolutely amazing!

What songs did you find the crowd liked most?

I think our song "Heavy Metal Is Back" was the most popular with the crowds at SXSW.

"Heavy Metal is Back" reminds me of Steel Panther quite a bit. Have you ever heard them before? Something tells me that you have!

I've never heard of them before. Are they a heavy metal band?
What is your typical instrumental setup for playing live? Pretty similar to what you use in the studio?

We're a typical heavy metal band. We use amp gain and some reverb and delay. That's all.

From your full-length, "속도위반" is no doubt my favorite--it has a great rhythm to it, and it's catchy as hell. I also burst out laughing when I heard "Girl Group" for the first time because I'm a fan of Korean pop. Poking fun at the abundance of generic k-pop groups and their obsessive fan bases is hilarious, I must admit. Do you have any particular disdain towards k-pop, or are you a closet fan like me?

No, we love k-pop girl groups! We want to go drinking with some of them one day.

Victim Mentality performing at SXSW 2016.

How would you describe the lyrical themes of your music to a listener who can't understand Korean?

Sex and social criticism. But it's not proper social criticism. Instead, it’s funny points.

In terms of future music, do you have any plans to release an album entirely in English? Don't get me wrong--I have no problem with your music being rooted in the Korean language as, again, I'm a fan of Korean pop. But I'm asking this question with the idea of a worldwide fan base in mind.

Yes, we do. Maybe our next full-length album will be released in Korean and English. We want to conquer the world!

You surely have a wide range of musical influences from all over the world, too. What bands and artists have influenced you most?

Three years ago, I interviewed another South Korean metal band, Remnants of the Fallen, who I got in touch with via Twitter. Would you say social media has helped expose your music in South Korea and to the world?
Yes, I think social media helps most bands connect with audiences around the world. It's a good thing.

Where do you think you fit in in South Korea's musical landscape? I'm thinking overall, in the rock scene, and in the metal scene.

I think we may be a good fit on TV shows, and we're hoping to get some more TV coverage this year. Korea's musical landscape is like Mars. No creatures can live there.

Are there any South Korean rock and metal bands that you think we should know about? If so, give them a shoutout here!

Method, Lowdown 30, Dead Buttons, and Galaxy Express.

Anything else you'd like to add? It was truly a pleasure to be able to interview you.

Thank you so much for interviewing us. And thanks to everyone for reading about us. Check out Victim Mentality. We’re nice people. I’m sure you will love us! And I hope all of you are in love, too.

3 comments:

Nice interview! You are clearly far better at thinking up questions then I am, I'm always afraid to offend do to a few accidental mistakes I made in the past. I didn't know this band before but I'm certainly checking them out now.